According to life coach James Clear, the average adult life is made up of 25,000 mornings. That’s 25,000 opportunities to open your eyes and set the tone for the rest of the day. It’s one thing to go about your daily morning routine; it’s another to take measures to make the most of your mornings.

A bad morning can throw off your entire day, which is why developing a productive morning routine should be on everyone’s to-do list.

Whether you work from home or commute to the office, the following tips could help you to be more productive during the work day.

Clear up your workspace

It may not be the most exciting thing to do first thing in the morning, but it makes a huge difference in your ability to concentrate. Clutter pulls your attention away from work to the huge mess in front of you. Workspaces don’t get cluttered in one day. It’s usually the result of days’ worth of sticky notes, printouts and briefs gradually spilling over your table. To prevent this from happening, it’s best to clean a little every day instead of waiting for the clutter to pile up.

Delay your screen time

When you start answering e-mails, texts and social media posts first thing in the morning, you lose focus and start to structure your day around the wants and needs of other people. It’s healthier to dedicate the first few moments of the day to something that sets a relaxed, positive tone for the day. Diving straight into your e-mails, text messages and social media notifications does the opposite — it’s a frantic way to start the day and creates a lot of confusion that will need to be ironed out throughout the day.

Eat a frog

Mark Twain once said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” The frog refers to a tedious task you are most likely to put off doing. Eating the frog means just getting it over and done with or risk wasting the whole day. Once the task is done, the momentum you created from completing the task will keep you going for the rest of the day.

Set time frames for tasks

A typical to-do list doesn’t let you know you have eight hours to get your work done; it tells you that there are 20 things to be done. Adding time frames to your to-do list improves its effectiveness tenfold. Time frames help you avoid procrastination and find ways to complete a task as quickly as possible.

Let’s say you run a business from home. If you’re planning to invoice clients, shop for a new insurer and brainstorm marketing campaigns — each activity should have its own time frame, with a summary of which steps you’ll take to complete the tasks on time. For instance, while shopping for business insurance, you could save time by getting an online insurance quote.

Starting your day with a clear idea of what lies ahead is the best way to maximise productivity. A good morning routine primes you for success and lets you make the most of your time so you can live your way.

MiWay is a licensed non-life insurer & FSP 33970. T’s & C’s apply.

This article was paid for by MiWay.